Old fashioned buttermilk pancakes are the fluffiest pancakes with amazing flavor. With just a few simple ingredients, these pancakes come together easily for an epic weekend breakfast!
This post was originally published in May 2019 and has been updated for content.
Our family loves breakfast food, especially for dinner or on the weekends. These homemade buttermilk pancakes are made AT LEAST once a week in our house.
Whip up these pancakes in no time with a few pantry staples to make the BEST pancakes that are way better than any box mix.
The buttermilk adds a slight tang and also makes them super fluffy. These tender pancakes can also be frozen, or you can keep a batch of the dry mix on hand for even easier prep!
Serve these classic buttermilk pancakes with a crispy hash brown crust quiche, soft scrambled eggs or citrus salad.
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🥞 Ingredient notes
- Buttermilk - Buttermilk mixed with baking powder causes a reaction that makes these pancakes super fluffy. I highly recommend using it, but buttermilk might not be something you buy all the time. You can use the leftovers to make crispy fried chicken sandwiches, ham and cheese biscuits or cast iron strawberry biscuits! You can also make your own buttermilk by mixing together 1 ¼ cups of whole regular milk with 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to thicken and then use as directed.
📋 Substitutions and variations
- Chocolate Chips - After pouring the batter in the pan, sprinkle a few chocolate chips on the top before flipping the pancakes.
- Berries - After pouring the batter in the pan, sprinkle blueberries, chopped strawberries or raspberries on the top before flipping.
- Sprinkles - After pouring the batter in the pan, add sprinkles on top before flipping to finish cooking.
- Dairy Free - Use a dairy free or plant based butter substitute. To substitute the buttermilk, use 1 ¼ cup dairy free or plant based milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Gluten Free - Use a cup for cup gluten free all purpose flour to make these pancakes gluten free.
🥣 Step by step instructions
First, heat up a griddle pan or electric griddle on medium low heat. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl and then set aside.
Whisk the buttermilk, egg and melted butter together in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and whisk to combine.
Lightly grease the hot griddle or pan and pour about ¼ cup of the batter onto the pan for each pancake.
Cook pancakes for about 45-60 seconds on the first side until golden brown. Flip and cook an additional 30-45 seconds on the other side.
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that I mention, be sure to look it up in our Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⭐Expert tips
- Mix the buttermilk pancake batter until it's combined and most of the lumps are gone. If there are still a few small lumps, that's fine.
- Cook the pancakes over medium low or medium heat at most. If the pan is too hot, they will be browned on the outside but not cooked on the inside.
💭 Frequently asked questions
The acid in buttermilk helps activate the baking powder to give an extra boost for super fluffy buttermilk pancakes. It also gives the pancakes a nice subtle tang that is expected from buttermilk pancakes.
⏲️ Make ahead and storage instructions
Once you mix the batter together it's best to cook them right away. The ingredients react together to make the fluffy pancakes, so storing the batter for later doesn't work. Instead, make your own mix or freeze the pancakes for later.
Pancake Mix - Double or triple the dry ingredients and store in an airtight container in the pantry. When you are ready to make pancakes, mix 1 egg, 3 tablespoons of melted butter and 1 ⅓ cup buttermilk together. Add that to a bowl with 1 ⅔ cups of the dry mix and combine to the make the batter for one batch of pancakes.
Freezer - Lay the old fashioned buttermilk pancakes in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze. Transfer to a freezer safe container or ziptop bag and store for up for to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave, on the stovetop or in a toaster oven.
Leftover pancakes will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Warm them up on the stovetop over low heat or in a microwave or toaster oven.
🍳 More weekend breakfast ideas
If you enjoyed this old fashioned buttermilk pancake recipe, check out these other tasty weekend breakfast ideas that I know you will love too!
- Nutella Pancakes
- Homemade Breakfast Pizza Recipe
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon French Toast
- Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
📖 Recipe
Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ⅓ cups buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled (plus extra for greasing the pan)
Instructions
- Preheat griddle pan or electric griddle over medium low heat.
- In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a small bowl combine buttermilk, egg, and butter and whisk to combine.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together until no lumps remain.
- Grease pan or griddle with butter and using a ladle or measuring cup, pour ¼ cup of the batter onto the pan for each pancake. Cook for 45 - 60 seconds until bubbles start to form and pop and underside is golden brown.
- Flip pancakes over and cook an additional 30 seconds until the other side is browned as well. Repeat with remaining batter.
Notes
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- Mix the batter until it's combined and most of the lumps are gone. A few small lumps are ok.
-
- Cook pancakes over medium low or medium heat at the most. If the pan is too hot, they will be browned on the outside but not cooked on the inside.
Substitutions and Variations
- Buttermilk - Mix together 1 ¼ cups of milk with 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to thicken and then use as directed.
- Chocolate Chips - Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on the top of the uncooked side before flipping the pancakes.
- Sprinkles - After pouring the batter in the pan, add sprinkles on top before flipping to finish cooking.
- Berries - Sprinkle blueberries, chopped strawberries or raspberries on the top of the uncooked side of the pancakes before flipping.
- Dairy Free - Use a dairy free or plant based butter substitute. To substitute the buttermilk, use 1 ¼ cup dairy free or plant based milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Gluten Free - Use a cup for cup gluten free all purpose flour.
Daylea
Absolutely delicious. Fluffy with a nice tang from the buttermilk. Super easy to make.
Amanda
Excellent! So glad you liked them, thank you for trying them!
Janine
I loved this recipe! I plan to use this one from now on because the one I would previously use would often give me one round of fluffy pancakes and then the rest would be flat. These produced an entire batch of fluffy pancakes. I added chocolate chips to them because my kids prefer pancakes that way, and they were great! Highly recommend!
Amanda
Thank you so much for trying the recipe, I'm so glad you loved them!